Seine

The Seine is best known for the part of it which runs slowly through Paris and has been a popular topic for many painters and artists. There are many cruises offered along the rivers route, especially through Paris, and it's a popular pathway along which to take a civilised evenings stroll and admire Paris’s architecture.

The banks of the Seine (creatively called the Left and Right Banks) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Until locks were built in the 19th Century, the Seine was only a shallow creek as it came through Paris, bordered on both sides by long sand banks, however the Paris stretch of the river is now about eight metres deep.

The mouth of the Seine opens onto the English Channel near Le Havre, and the river’s source is near Dijon.